I'm Here
by SylviaBronte
Summary: Tony consoles Pepper after she wakes up from a nightmare.


**AN: Short but sweet - here we go.~**

* * *

_"Be careful out there, Tony," Pepper said with a small smile on her face, leaning in and lightly kissing her boyfriend's cheek before the helmet came into place._

_"Of course I'll be careful, Pep. I always am."_

_And, with a final wink and a winning smile, the helmet came down into place. She smiled again when he took her hand in his armoured own, before wrapping her arms around him. When Tony's arms circled her waist, she couldn't help but smile._

_"Go on, get out of here," she replied. "Stay safe, don't do anything stupid." Pepper pulled away, and sighed. "Don't you dare go through that roof, Tony. I forbid you! I'm not getting anyone else over to repair it."_

_"Hey, whatever," he replied cheekily. "Rules are made to be broken!" Before the redhead could protest, Tony had already blasted through the roof. She gasped, hurriedly taking a few steps back to avoid the small chunks of falling plaster, and other debris._

_"You'll pay for that!" she yelled after him, even though she knew he couldn't hear her. Shaking her head and chuckling, she left the garage, deciding to tidy Tony's bedroom. He had a terrible habit of leaving everything a mess after he woke up - the covers were halfway off the bed, one of the pillows were on the floor, and the bed-sheet had been pulled off completely in one corner, exposing the surprisingly clean white mattress. She tutted when she noticed what a mess it was, shaking her head in disapproval. _

_"What a slob." she muttered, raising her eyebrows as she began to take off the bed-sheet, intending to replace it with a cleaner one._

_At that moment, a flash of hot-rod red caught her eye, causing her head to snap up, just as Tony glided past the window. Laughing, she watched him for a few minutes, just expecting him to go past and get to the place where he was apparently supposed to 'save the world (again)' - France or Belgium, it was one of the two. Pepper hadn't really been paying attention, seeing as she had been to pre-occupied with worrying over Tony. She was slightly ashamed to admit how anxious and worried she felt whenever he left on a mission that she knew was potentially very dangerous, even when he promised her that he would be very careful, and ultimately on his best behaviour._

_Her expectations shattered in front of her, as something silver suddenly darted across the sky. Her breath caught, and before she could so much as cry out, an explosion of red, orange and yellow illuminated the peaceful Malibu skyline._

_No._

_No, no, no._

_What the hell was that? Was that a _missile_? Was that _Tony_? Did he avoid it? Of course he did... she thought, desperately trying to tell herself that that hadn't just happened before her very eyes. JARVIS wouldn't have let that thing hit him... right?_

_Right?_

_"T-... Tony...?" she whispered, pressing her hands against the cool glass, her eyes wide in shock. "Tony?" she repeated, louder this time._

_I have to call him... I have to make sure he's okay. That wasn't him - of course it wasn't. It can't have been._

_Pepper hastily felt in her pockets, sighing in relief when her hand closed around her Blackberry. When she tried to call him, however, it didn't even ring. It went straight to voice-mail._

_"Tony, no..." she sank to her knees, still staring at the remnants of the explosion. "Tony!" she called out, feeling the tears begin to well up and burn her eyes. "Tony!"_

"Tony!" Pepper screamed. Her blue eyes flew open, and she stared up at the ceiling, breathing heavily and shaking. She was drenched in sweat, and left terrified after her vivid dream. She lay there for a few more seconds, trying to recover as she felt strong arms wrap around her. Tears streamed from her eyes, soaking his black t-shirt.

"Hey, hey..." Tony said softly, holding her close. "It's alright Pep, I'm here. I've got you..."

"I-... You-..."

"Shh..." he soothed, whispering comforting words and holding her to his chest, exhaling a little when Pepper's head came to rest beside his arc reactor. He knew that most people probably wouldn't be up for much of that touchy-feely crap if he had a big hunk of metal in his chest - but he knew that Pepper saw past it, which was one of the reasons why he loved her.

_Since when did I become Mr. Nice Guy? _he thought, watching Pepper as she slowly began to relax in his arms. _Her fault. She made me soft,_ he thought halfheartedly. _Not that I would ever change that for the world._

Pepper allowed Tony to pull her closer, unable to stop her tears as she felt his fingers work into her ginger waves, trying to offer as much comfort as possible. She just cried until she fell asleep, completely wearing herself out. Tony's arms never let go as he brought both himself and his now sleeping girlfriend further under the covers, moving slowly and carefully, as not to wake her. For a little while, Tony lay awake and watched her, taking note of the tiny snuffling sounds she made in her sleep, and the way one corner of her mouth twitched slightly every now and again. She was perfect, even when she was asleep.

Finally, Tony's breathing slowed and he fell asleep, still holding Pepper securely in his arms.


End file.
